Interstate 82
Interstate 82 (I-82) is an Interstate Highway in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States that travels through parts of Washington and Oregon. It runs 144 miles (232 km) from I-90 / US 97 in Ellensburg, Washington, to I-84 / US 30 near Hermiston, Oregon, passing through Yakima and the Tri-Cities. The highway also connects I-90 in Washington, which continues west to Seattle and east to Spokane; and I-84 in Oregon, which continues west to Portland and east to Boise, Idaho, respectively. I-82 travels concurrently with U.S. Route 97 (US 97) between Ellensburg and Union Gap, and US 12 from Yakima to the Tri-Cities. Its only auxiliary route, I-182, connects the highway to Richland and Pasco in the Tri-Cities. I-82 primarily serves the Yakima Valley region, following the Yakima and Columbia rivers southeastward to the Tri-Cities. It crosses the Columbia River on the Umatilla Bridge and runs southwesterly through Umatilla County, Oregon, terminating at I-84 southwest of Hermiston. The I-82 corridor was originally used by several state and national highways, including the Inland Empire Highway and US 410, which were built in the early 20th century. The federal government created I-82 in late 1957 to serve military facilities in the region, replacing an earlier designation for what is now I-84. The first section of I-82 to be constructed was the easterly bypass of Yakima, which opened in 1963 and was gradually extended north to Ellensburg by 1971. The Yakima Valley section, connecting Union Gap to Prosser, was constructed between 1977 and 1982. The routing of the highway between Prosser and I-84 was very controversial with residents of the Tri-Cities area, who lobbied for a longer I-82 alignment to serve them. Oregon legislators and highway officials remained opposed to a routing that bypassed Umatilla, leading to several attempts at finding a compromise along the Wallula Gap or in other areas southeast of the Tri-Cities. In 1973, Oregon and Washington adopted a federal compromise to build I-82 through Umatilla and around the outskirts of the Tri-Cities with a spur route (I-182) to serve the area directly. The Tri-Cities section opened in 1986 while in Oregon, the final section of I-82 was completed in 1988. In the early 2000s, Oregon highway officials examined plans to extend I-82 further south through eastern Oregon and towards California, but rejected them for further consideration. Route description Interstate 82 travels 143.6 miles (231 km) through a part of the Inland Northwest region in a generally northwest–southeast direction along the Yakima and Columbia rivers. It forms part of the link between Seattle and the inland West, which includes Boise, Idaho and Salt Lake City, Utah. I-82 is a component of the Interstate Highway System and is thus also designated as an important national highway under the National Highway System. It is also listed as a Highway of Statewide Significance by the Washington state government. I-82 has one auxiliary route, I-182, a spur route that serves the Tri-Cities region. It also has two child state highways in Washington: State Route 821 (WA 821) that runs from Selah to Ellensburg, and WA 823 that runs from Yakima to Selah. I-82 is maintained by Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) within their respective states. Both agencies conduct annual surveys of traffic on segments of the freeway, the results of which are expressed in terms of average annual daily traffic (AADT), a measure of traffic volume for any average day of the year. The most heavily-trafficked and the least-trafficked sections of I-82 are located in Washington; the busiest section is in downtown Yakima near WA 24, which carried a daily average of 52,000 vehicles in 2016; and the least-trafficked section, the terminus at I-90 near Ellensburg, carried 9,100 vehicles. In 2016, ODOT's measurements of average annual daily traffic ranged from a minimum of 13,700 vehicles at Powerline Road near Hermiston to a maximum of 21,700 vehicles at the Umatilla Bridge. Yakima Valley Tri-Cities and Umatilla History Predecessor highways Planning and early disputes Tri-Cities routing dispute Construction and opening Later years Exit list See also * Interstate 182 Category:Interstate 82 Category:Interstate Highways Category:Highways and roads Category:Interstate Highways in Washington Category:Interstate Highways in Oregon Category:Interstate Highway System Category:Highways numbered 82